Some Training
by BlanketsarePink
Summary: Quick piece with Itachi. Premassacre, different take on a small bit after the massacre. Not really focused on accuracy.


A/N: Let's try and get all of this straight now.

I don't know if Itachi was an ANBU captain at 13- I don't care if I got how an ANBU team works or is all wrong. I also don't care if Asuma, Kurenai, Kakashi, or Gai have little brothers. I don't care if none of them were on an ANBU team with Itachi as their captain either. This is a fanfic, and I decided that's how it all works. Sorry if the flaws annoy you. I'm not sure about any of the ages either. I guess Sasuke can be 8, or something.

Itachi is 13 years old.

* * *

It was a normal, sunny day in Konoha- as with any other normal day, Uchiha Itachi was training. Today, he and his team were in a training ground on the outskirts of town, preparing for a mission that would take place tomorrow. 

Four of the members, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, and Maito Gai, Hatake Kakashi, were training together, along with team captain, Uchiha Itachi.

As usual, however, the team captain was quiet and expressionless, Kakashi noticed with a frown. A boy of only thirteen, and already a captain in ANBU, he was considered a prodigy- and a genius. He was an enigma that nobody could solve, performing missions with utmost precision and care, but without the slightest hint of emotion. It seemed as though he had none to the team. A few times, between missions, some of them had tried to approach him with conversation, trying to get to know him- but his cold attitude stopped these gestures. To be honest it almost frightened him. He had long ago decided to keep an eye on him, but aside from rapid growth in skill and knowledge he noticed nothing. Perhaps there was nothing that Uchiha Itachi cared for other than completing his missions.

Noticing the time, he shook himself out of his thoughts and suggested they all take a lunch break, which everyone agreed to. Everyone gathered their lunches and either sat or stood in a loose group, chatting idly about the upcoming mission or other common topics. Uchiha Itachi it seemed, however, could not find his lunch. Figuring he left it at home, and instead of wasting time going to retrieve it or asking for any from others (an almost laughable thought), he brushed it off. He quietly made his way over to a tree by the edges of the training area and slipped into deep thought.

The break was half over when the relatively calm atmosphere was broken by a young voice calling at the top of its lungs, "Nii-san!! NII-SAN!"

Kurenai, Gai, Asuma, and Kakashi stopped talking and looked over to see a small, black haired boy running as fast as he could towards the training ground. They looked at each other in confusion; none of them had a younger brother… Their heads whipped around when their stoic captain, who had apparently gotten up and walked closer to where they were, answered,

"What is it, Otouto?"

The young boy finally made it over to them, panting and carrying a neatly wrapped bundle in his arms.

"Aniki," he began, taking a deep breath, "you forgot your lunch, and I didn't want you to be hungry, since I knew you were training, so I decided to find you and bring it to you." He held up the package with a slight blush and embarrassed smile.

The team looked at each other in shock. This ridiculously adorable young boy was untouchable, cold, Uchiha Itachi's little brother?

But their jaws dropped when they noticed the small responding smile and soft eyes Itachi gazed at his little brother with.

"Foolish otouto, you must have run half way around Konoha. Why don't you stay and watch me train for a while? I'm sure you could use the rest."

The boy lit up like a light bulb.

"Really, aniki?! I'd love too!" he burst, before looking embarrassed again and looking down at his toes, scuffing them against the dirt. "I mean… if you don't mind."

There was no way they were related, Kurenai decided. No way in hell. Hatake Kakashi was having similar thoughts, but Itachi was acting much too strangely for him to completely discard the idea.

"Of course I don't. And why don't you share this lunch with me?"

They sat down, and began eating the meal together, talking quietly as they did so.

The rest of the team turned to each other. Kurenai was the first to speak.

"There's no way they're related," she said. "No way in hell."

"It is a bit shocking, but Itachi is acting much too strangely for them not to be," Kakashi added.

"Of all things youthful, a loving, cute younger brother is not what I expected." Gai said.

"Perhaps we should try and talk to the kid, get to know him. Then we could see what all this is about…" Asuma suggested.

While they were talking, the two brothers finished up and started packing away their lunch.

"Leave it to me," Kakashi said, glancing over at the two.

Walking over to them, Kakashi addressed Itachi. "Itachi, Gai and Asuma wanted to spar with you." The two in question looked at him with shocked expressions. "Kurenai and I will keep your… younger brother… company."

"Very well," Itachi said, monotone. Turning back to his brother, he said in a much warmer tone, "Sasuke, you can watch with Kakashi-san and Kurenai-san while I spar."

He walked over to the two (Kurenai jumped quickly over to Sasuke and Kakashi) and, bowing his head, said "Begin when you're ready."

The two almost immediately started their attacks. The Uchiha calmly responded and dodged, as he usually did until they tired out or gave up, until a gasp from his brother at a "near miss" (it came as close as a meter) made him pause, almost as if he just remembered he was there.

Gai and Asuma watched him warily as he raised his eyes to look at them suddenly.

Gai's next attack missed him by a millimeter.

Gai raised an eyebrow at that, as that had been a distraction and easy to dodge, but Itachi wasn't looking at him. He was looking over at his younger brother, who had gasped and then shouted out. Asuma went towards him. A loud crack echoed through the training grounds.

He had punched the Uchiha right in the face, knocking him down.

Asuma pulled his fist back and looked at it, almost in shock, before turning back to the Uchiha. Again, he was gazing back at his brother, who had cried out in worry for his nii-san, tears filling his eyes.

Gai and Asuma glanced at each other, neither able to figure out what was going on. When they looked back at the Uchiha, both felt unease fill them at the sudden fire (of what they could not determine) that had filled his eyes as he stared at his brother. His gaze turned to meet theirs.

Faster than they could register it, he jumped on his feet and sent a flurry of kunai whizzing past Asuma. Before he could counter the strangely off mark attack, he found himself bound by wires that had been attached to the kunai. Sasuke cheered. Itachi looked back at his brother.

Things from there became very painful for the older pair in the spar-turned-almost-full-out-life-or-death-battle. Itachi would attack, and his distraction with Sasuke seemed to make him forget that he was only sparring with his teammates. It was almost as if he didn't notice the peril he was putting their lives in.

Kakashi and Kurenai looked worried for their comrades, paling and wincing at their screams as they were beaten, burned, and bruised by the Uchiha. But this whole interaction had them rooted to the spot…

W-was Itachi _showing off_ for Sasuke?

As inconceivable as the idea was, it was as though he were trying hard to wring every gasp, scream, and cheer possible from Sasuke.

After a particularly painful attack, at Sasuke's scream, Itachi seemed to have finally snapped in some way.

Itachi let go of Asuma's and Gai's throats and they dropped to the ground, gasping for air. They froze at the sight of sharingan filling his eyes (not having bothered using it during first half of the fight) and everyone thought he finally decided to finish them before he suddenly turned and walked quickly over to his brother.

Everyone watched, the air filled with tension.

"A-aniki!! Are you alright? That was incredible! You're amazing!" Sasuke was almost incapable of words as his brother came toward him.

Without a word he roughly picked up his brother (who cut off with a squeak), grabbed the back of his hair, and pulled his head until it was less than a millimeter away from his own - before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

There was silence as the team first stared open mouthed at where they disappeared and then at each other. And then sunk to the ground, rooted to their spots with shock.

Almost an hour had passed in silence before a poof of smoke brought them out of their stupors.

A disheveled, flushed, and panting Uchiha Itachi appeared in the middle of the training grounds.

"Don't forget to prepare for the mission tomorrow- be at the gates by 8 a.m."

And he disappeared once more.

**5 years later- Team 7 encounters Akatsuki for the 1****st**** time**

"It's been a long time." one of the cloaked figures spoke, before seductively whipping off his hat and slowly unbuttoning the top of his cloak to reveal…

Kakashi and Sasuke gasped.

"Uchiha Itachi!"

Kakashi knew his team was in danger. Akatsuki was after the Kyuubi, after all. He had to think fast.

Jumping into action, he grabbed Sasuke and threw him at Itachi.

"Quick, run!" Kakashi told Sakura and Naruto, who were staring in shock.

"B-but, what about Sasuke, why..."

"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to, he'll give us at least a 45 minute head start, now go!!"

* * *

A/N: I'm feeling a bit better about this one. I was really excited to write it. Still not perfect, but I don't have a lot of time. Sorry for any errors.  


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